Loose droppings and a shell less egg

[CrockChickens9]

Good morning,

My 10 month old Australorp has recently started with the following symptoms: loose droppings, frayed looking tail feathers, aggression to a new layer, minor oddities on her egg shells and then this morning a shell less egg under the roost. Something of note is that for the past two months her feed has been grower feed with oyster shell on the side. This was due to the fact that I had new pullets that were not laying yet integrated. They are coming to lay now so I am starting to transition back to layer feed this week. Is this a calcium issue or something else? I had been preparing to de worm her because of the loose poop and I never have so I thought it may be time. I put ACV in their water and sent my husband to get calcium citrate with Vitamin D for her. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[nuthatched]

How long has she been laying?
What type of abnormalities?
What's the acv for?

 

[CrockChickens9]

How long has she been laying?
What type of abnormalities?
What's the acv for?

Started laying the end of September so almost 5 months. She’s laying less frequently often not two days in a row like she used to. Probably every other. My husband has said it’s the cold but I suspected something was off. The eggs have some bumpy spots encircling the egg that make them slightly irregular in shape at times. Nothing extreme. The ACV was for the loose droppings and she was stressed with the aggression to the new layer. I thought the stress could be messing with digestion so I had started it then today saw the shell less egg. I’m sure I’m way off. I just want to help her. We lost one two months ago for unknown reasons and I’d like to prevent that.

 

[CrockChickens9]

I should also note that it is a shell less and membrane less egg. Just yolk and egg white.

 

[CrockChickens9]

I should also note that it is a shell less and membrane less egg. Just yolk and egg white.

There is actually a membrane it has just been broken open when it dropped from the roost. I gave her the calcium and D3 so I guess I’ll just wait to see. Can anyone advise whether I should de worm her as planned or if I should wait since she’s having egg issues? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Good morning,

My 10 month old Australorp has recently started with the following symptoms: loose droppings, frayed looking tail feathers, aggression to a new layer, minor oddities on her egg shells and then this morning a shell less egg under the roost. Something of note is that for the past two months her feed has been grower feed with oyster shell on the side. This was due to the fact that I had new pullets that were not laying yet integrated. They are coming to lay now so I am starting to transition back to layer feed this week. Is this a calcium issue or something else? I had been preparing to de worm her because of the loose poop and I never have so I thought it may be time. I put ACV in their water and sent my husband to get calcium citrate with Vitamin D for her. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

There is actually a membrane it has just been broken open when it dropped from the roost. I gave her the calcium and D3 so I guess I’ll just wait to see. Can anyone advise whether I should de worm her as planned or if I should wait since she’s having egg issues? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Do you have photos of her and her poop?

I'd continue with the Calcium+D3 once daily for 5 days, see if that helps with shell quality.

Agression is not that uncommon when it comes to adding new birds. Sounds like she's just trying to keep her place within the flock. Is she the lowest ranking adult? Often low ranking birds are more aggressive to newbies than the top ones.

Lets see the eggs she's laying too - minor oddities can mean a whole lot of different things.

See that she's eating well, drinking. Check her for lice/mite and see that her crop is emptying.

To help with integration, often adding another feed and water station (or more) can help reduce some stress and making sure there's places that newbies can get up/away and/or out of sight of the older ones - a few places to hide behind, just be sure the hiding places are open ended, you don't want to box anyone in.

 

[CrockChickens9]

Do you have photos of her and her poop?

I'd continue with the Calcium+D3 once daily for 5 days, see if that helps with shell quality.

Agression is not that uncommon when it comes to adding new birds. Sounds like she's just trying to keep her place within the flock. Is she the lowest ranking adult? Often low ranking birds are more aggressive to newbies than the top ones.

Lets see the eggs she's laying too - minor oddities can mean a whole lot of different things.

See that she's eating well, drinking. Check her for lice/mite and see that her crop is emptying.

To help with integration, often adding another feed and water station (or more) can help reduce some stress and making sure there's places that newbies can get up/away and/or out of sight of the older ones - a few places to hide behind, just be sure the hiding places are open ended, you don't want to box anyone in.

Thank you so much for your response. I’m worried and unsure what I’m doing.

I started the Calcium citrate and D3 yesterday morning and gave her another dose this morning. I will continue for the five days. She laid the shell less egg Monday between 7pm and 10pm on the roost and she has not laid since. This morning I see no loose droppings in the run or coop. Her droppings appear normal now although she does have orange tinted urates in the coop overnight this happens from time to time with her. Her droppings at night are always large but formed. Today in the run I can not differentiate her droppings from the other chickens. The loose droppings I have found recently have been normal color just a thinner splattered consistency but she will also have formed ones right next to the loose ones on the roost. So it’s not consistent which seems odd. No worms visible to my eye and I checked her vent area and skin and I see no visible bugs or eggs. I have yet to check after dark but can do that tonight. I will also monitor her crop closely but as far as I can tell it feels normal and is empty in the mornings.

She is the last of my original flock and is only 10 months old. (We lost 4 in a bear attack and one at Christmas time to unknown causes but she did have water belly which we noticed only after she fell sick, a slightly poopy vent area and looked a bit ragged in the tail feathers. She acted completely normal until the night she passed. She fell off the roost panting and died that night. Very quickly.

There are 4 other 5 month old pullets in with her. One just started laying a week ago and but I believe she (the Australorp) is still top of the pecking order. They all appear scared to cross her. They were integrated and doing well but since they are all coming into lay right now she has seemed desperate to keep her spot on top. The younger girls are always able to get away and no injuries so far but she is vigilant.

Should I be worried she hasn’t laid yet? I have not seen her eating much and she is perched weird currently. I’ll post pictures. Was fine when I was out there though. We have cameras so I look in on her to check. The egg is the last egg before the shell less. You can see the circumference ridge at the top. These abnormalities have been happening for about 1 to 2 months. Should I do anything else?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[CrockChickens9]

Also put vitamins and electrolytes in the water today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for your response. I’m worried and unsure what I’m doing.

I started the Calcium citrate and D3 yesterday morning and gave her another dose this morning. I will continue for the five days. She laid the shell less egg Monday between 7pm and 10pm on the roost and she has not laid since. This morning I see no loose droppings in the run or coop. Her droppings appear normal now although she does have orange tinted urates in the coop overnight this happens from time to time with her. Her droppings at night are always large but formed. Today in the run I can not differentiate her droppings from the other chickens. The loose droppings I have found recently have been normal color just a thinner splattered consistency but she will also have formed ones right next to the loose ones on the roost. So it’s not consistent which seems odd. No worms visible to my eye and I checked her vent area and skin and I see no visible bugs or eggs. I have yet to check after dark but can do that tonight. I will also monitor her crop closely but as far as I can tell it feels normal and is empty in the mornings.

She is the last of my original flock and is only 10 months old. (We lost 4 in a bear attack and one at Christmas time to unknown causes but she did have water belly which we noticed only after she fell sick, a slightly poopy vent area and looked a bit ragged in the tail feathers. She acted completely normal until the night she passed. She fell off the roost panting and died that night. Very quickly.

There are 4 other 5 month old pullets in with her. One just started laying a week ago and but I believe she (the Australorp) is still top of the pecking order. They all appear scared to cross her. They were integrated and doing well but since they are all coming into lay right now she has seemed desperate to keep her spot on top. The younger girls are always able to get away and no injuries so far but she is vigilant.

Should I be worried she hasn’t laid yet? I have not seen her eating much and she is perched weird currently. I’ll post pictures. Was fine when I was out there though. We have cameras so I look in on her to check. The egg is the last egg before the shell less. You can see the circumference ridge at the top. These abnormalities have been happening for about 1 to 2 months. Should I do anything else?

Thank you so much in advance!

She may be a bit stressed since she's the "outcast" actually. It's good to give the electrolytes. I'd continue with the Calcium.

Hopefully with the extra Calcium her shell quality will improve. Her cycle may be off a little due to stress, but there's not a lot that can be done.

I do see the ridge in the egg, this is likely from stress, hopefully in time she will settle with the pullets. Integration and changes (pullets coming into lay/maturing) can all be a stressful time.

 

[CrockChickens9]

So she laid twice since the soft shell egg and yesterday was day 5 of the calcium vitamin D supplement. So I have not given it today. Her shells seem plenty thick but the first was the same as the one above with ridge and the second has some wrinkling. I’ll attach a picture. She’s not aggressive anymore that I’ve seen and we had one of the other pullets start to lay 3 days ago. 2 remaining yet to lay are squatting, singing songs and sitting in the boxes just no eggs yet. She seems to have given up control a bit. Both the new layers laid in her box this morning and she waited outside until they were done and laid after them. Could this all be from stress or maybe does she have a faulty shell gland? She laid fine previously. Is it ok to discontinue the calcium? Should I be concerned at all that she’s sick? Thank you for any insight anyone can provide!